The 5 Shocking Best Actress Nominees Of 2025: From Body Horror To Oscar History

The 97th Academy Awards Best Actress race has delivered one of the most unpredictable and diverse lineups in recent memory, with the official nominations, announced in late January 2026, confirming a stunning slate of performances. As of today, December 18, 2025, the industry buzz is electric, focusing on a mix of established legends making career-defining comebacks and breakout stars delivering raw, visceral portrayals that have dominated the conversation at film festivals worldwide.

This year’s list of contenders is a definitive answer to the call for challenging, non-traditional roles, featuring everything from a shocking body horror film to a groundbreaking performance that has already secured a permanent place in Oscar history. The final five nominees represent a global selection of cinema that has captivated critics and audiences alike, setting the stage for a truly competitive awards season.

The 2025 Best Actress Nominees: Career Profiles and Key Roles

The final list of nominees for the Best Actress category at the 97th Academy Awards is a powerhouse of talent, featuring a mix of Hollywood veterans and international stars. Here is a brief profile of the five actresses who secured a coveted nomination, highlighting the performance that earned them this year's top honor.

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• Demi Moore (The Substance)

  Biography: An iconic figure of 1990s Hollywood, known for blockbusters like Ghost and A Few Good Men. Moore’s career saw a recent resurgence with her work in television and independent film. This nomination marks her first-ever Academy Award nod.

  The Role: She plays Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading television star who uses a black-market substance to create a younger, more beautiful version of herself. This body horror role is being hailed as the most audacious and physically demanding performance of her career.

• Mikey Madison (Anora)

  Biography: A rising star who gained recognition for roles in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and the Scream franchise. Madison is celebrated for her ability to portray complex, intense characters.

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  The Role: She stars as Anora, a sex worker from Brooklyn who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch. Her portrayal, directed by Sean Baker, is a ferocious, vulnerable, and generational performance that anchors the acclaimed dark comedy.

• Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez)

  Biography: A Spanish actress who has worked extensively in film and television. Gascón is a trailblazer, and this nomination is a historic milestone for the Academy Awards.

  The Role: Gascón plays the title role in Jacques Audiard's musical crime film, portraying a feared Mexican cartel leader who decides to transition into a woman with the help of a lawyer. Her nomination is historic, making her the first openly transgender woman ever nominated in an acting category at the Oscars.

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• Angelina Jolie (Maria)

  Biography: One of the world’s most recognizable actresses, a humanitarian, and an Oscar winner for Girl, Interrupted. Jolie’s career spans action epics, dramas, and directorial efforts.

  The Role: She delivers a powerful performance as the legendary opera singer Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín's highly-anticipated biopic. The film focuses on the final, turbulent years of Callas's life. The performance received an immediate standing ovation and intense Oscar buzz following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

• Fernanda Torres (I'm Still Here)

  Biography: A celebrated Brazilian actress and writer, Torres is a staple of Brazilian cinema and a former Cannes Best Actress winner. She is the daughter of legendary actress Fernanda Montenegro.

  The Role: Torres plays Eunice Paiva, an activist and mother coping with the forced disappearance of her husband during the Brazilian military dictatorship. Directed by Walter Salles, the film is a moving political drama based on a true story, and Torres’s performance is hailed for its emotional depth and historical weight.

The Historic Significance of the 2025 Oscar Race

The 97th Academy Awards Best Actress category will be remembered as much for its diversity and risk-taking as for the high quality of the performances. The nomination of Karla Sofía Gascón for Emilia Pérez is arguably the most significant headline of the entire awards season.

Gascón’s inclusion is a watershed moment, shattering a long-standing barrier and signaling a new era of recognition for transgender actors in major cinematic roles. Her performance, which includes musical numbers and a complex emotional arc, has been universally praised since the film’s debut at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Academy's embrace of international cinema is also evident with the nominations of Gascón and the veteran Brazilian star Fernanda Torres. Torres's powerful work in I'm Still Here brings a crucial political and historical narrative to the forefront of the Oscar conversation, highlighting global stories that resonate with universal themes of resilience and loss. This focus on non-English language performances demonstrates a continuing shift in the Academy's voting body towards a more international perspective.

The Buzz-Worthy Roles: Body Horror, Biopics, and Breakouts

The films that secured these nominations are as varied as the actresses themselves, creating a fascinating mix of genres and thematic material. The conversation surrounding the "Best Actress" category is fueled by the sheer audacity of these roles.

Demi Moore's Shocking Comeback in The Substance.

Moore's performance is a major talking point. Coralie Fargeat’s body horror film is an intense, feminist critique of aging and beauty standards in Hollywood. Moore's commitment to the role, including significant on-screen nudity and physical transformation, has been called fearless and a genuine career reinvention. The film’s divisive nature only adds to the buzz, making her a formidable frontrunner.

Mikey Madison's Generational Performance in Anora.

Sean Baker, known for his work with non-traditional protagonists, has drawn a career-best performance from Madison. Her portrayal of a sex worker navigating a chaotic, high-stakes marriage is raw, funny, and deeply human. The film's Palme d'Or win at Cannes cemented its status as a major awards contender, and Madison's turn is the emotional core of the movie.

Angelina Jolie's Transformation into Maria Callas.

Biopics are traditional Oscar fare, but Jolie's take on the iconic opera diva Maria Callas is generating a unique kind of excitement. Directed by Pablo Larraín (who also directed Natalie Portman in Jackie and Kristen Stewart in Spencer), Maria focuses on the emotional and psychological toll of fame. Jolie’s portrayal is described as devastatingly intimate, a performance that transcends celebrity to capture the soul of a tormented artist.

The Road Ahead: LSI Keywords and Topical Authority

Looking ahead to the ceremony, the race is incredibly tight. While Demi Moore has generated significant momentum and has already secured a Golden Globe win for her role in The Substance, the historical weight of Karla Sofía Gascón's nomination and the critical acclaim for Mikey Madison's work in Anora make this a three-way contest for the ages. The performances by Angelina Jolie and Fernanda Torres, both in powerful, emotionally resonant films, ensure that no one is counting them out.

The 2025 Academy Awards will celebrate not just the best in acting, but the most boundary-pushing and culturally relevant cinema of the year. The diverse selection of nominees—from the controversial body horror genre to the international political drama—ensures that the final vote will be a reflection of the industry's evolving taste and global reach.